BBC launches iPlayer Radio app

BBC gives radio content its own dedicated iPlayer app

The BBC has launched its iPlayer Radio app for smartphones, tablets and PCs.

The move involves taking the broadcaster's audio content and giving it its own dedicated application rather than bundling it with TV content in the regular iPlayer app. The iOS app for iPhone will launch later today but Android users will have to wait due to a complication with Flash.

Mark Friend, controller of multiplatform and interactive at BBC Audio & Music said: "BBC iPlayer Radio is the platform on which we will develop radio stations as fully multimedia brands so that as well as listen, audiences will be able to watch, share and engage with BBC radio,"

"Our next steps will be to make live radio more interactive, make it easier for people to enjoy the BBC's vast audio archive and strengthen radio's position as the number one place for discovering music in the UK."

This means users will need to download separate apps for video and audio but will mean each app is tailored for its content. The BBC said the iPhone app will feature an alarm clock so you can wake up to the radio.

As well as live streaming of the BBC's multiple radio stations, users can catch-up with previous shows via on-demand. There's also programme alerts, social integration and access to podcasts.